Welcome to Close Call Sports. CCS objectively tracks and analyzes close and controversial calls in sport, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game. Developed from The Left Field Corner: MLB Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (UEFL), whose purpose is to objectively track and analyze umpire ejections, video instant replay reviews and their corresponding calls, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Ejections: Phil Cuzzi (3)

HP Umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected Blue Jays 3B Coach Brian Butterfield for arguing a strike three call in the top of the 3rd inning of the Blue Jays-Yankees game. With two out and one on, Blue Jays batter Kelly Johnson took a 0-2 fastball from Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon for a called third strike. Replays indicate all pitches to Johnson were correctly ruled strikes, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 3-3. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 6-4.

----- Per UEFL Rule 6.ii.b. (Miller Rule), if the CI generated above includes only numbers greater than |1.000|, the correct call must be a ball. If the range partially or completely includes numbers less than |1.000|, the correct call may be a strike. Both callable pitches fall into this latter category and were correctly called strikes.

6
comments
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Anonymous
said...

Why did Cuzzi not eject Butterfield on the strike two pitch? After he called that first strike for strike 2, you have a third base coach yelling from the dugout, Cuzzi engages him, why not toss him then? He obviously is doing enough to merit attention from the home plate area at that time. Then the very next pitch is in the same spot, and Cuzzi's mechanic indicates he's frustrated; he knows it's a strike, and he knows that because he didn't address the issue on the previous pitch, he's going to have an ejection because Butterfield or Farrell or whoever in the dugout is going to argue about pitch location again.

Third base coach from the dugout? The Blue Jays were batting at the time. The K was on the third out of the inning, so the ejection came as Butterfield was going back to the dugout. Makes a difference in the whole situation.

Let me help out as I was there (albeit in the outfield with the bleacher bums). After the strike two pitch, someone was yelling from the dugout, I don't know who. Cuzzi in turn turned to talk to whoever was yelling in the dugout to basically tell them to knock it off and shut up. While the third base coach was going back to the dugout, when he got there, the dugout was still yelling at Cuzzi - it was more than just one guy. At that point, Cuzzi turns and motions for someone to go. I don't know if it was because he specifically knew it was Butterfield who needed to go or otherwise, but at the end of it all, Butterfield was evidently the one as he was the one who reacted to it.

But again, the issue did start with Wakamatsu and some of the other guys in the dugout. It wasn't any one coach. Butterfield just looked like he continued to ride Cuzzi after Butterfield got back to the dugout. That's why he was gone. Wakamatsu came out briefly to talk to Cuzzi, but it doesn't look like Wakamatsu was arguing anything. Looks like whatever happened, not only Cuzzi, but Wakamatsu too agreed that Butterfield needed to go home.

That's the third ejection we've had this season for arguing strikes right at the top of the "official" strike zone. Are the umpires starting to call these pitches more often, when in the past the top of their zones might have been not much higher than the belt? Just curious...

Butterfield is the son of the late Yankee vice president of scouting and player development Jake Butterfield. So, who do you think drafted him in 1979. Yep, the Yankees. Wonder why? After 5 years in the minors he was given the job of minor league roving infield instructor with the Yankees no less. He moved over to minor league coaching then to 1st base coach of the Yankees. Went to Arizon then back to Yankees and was fired from AAA Columbus before going to the Toronto Organization.

Since this is the former team that dumped him, it makes since for him to be whining with the umpires against his former employer. What a crybaby.